Wheel-tire.



PATENTED JAN. 14, 1908.

T. J. MOGARTHY.

WHEEL TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24,1906.

2-SHEETS$HEET 2.

* ll/z'nessea: 1%06 or UNITED STATES PATENT oniuon.

THOMAS JAMES McOARTHY, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

WHEEL-TIRE,

To all whom it may concern:

Be. it known thatI, THo As JAMES Mo- .nCARTHY, a citizen of the United States of America," and a resident of the city of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wheel- Tires, of which the following is a specifics;

' tire are rather too Well known to require being dilated upon herein, and it is nigh unto sufficiency, for the purposes of this specification, to state that, on the one hand, the almost universal adoption of the pneumatic wheel-tire for automobiles and similar vehicles shows it has been hitherto considered the best that could be procured for comfortable riding, while, on the'other hand, the test ofusage has proved it of limited usefulness and devoid [of qualities which a perfect tire should possess.

It is recognized that the chief objection to the pneumatic tire is not so much the original cost thereof, though great, nor the never-ending expense of keeping it in repair,

as its liability to puncture and collapse at most inopportune times and places, causing vexatious delays and discomfort which no Lamount of money can obviate or overcome,

and necessitating irksome precautions such as the carrying of a kit of tools and repairing material, besides extra tires, which'are just as likely to burst as those they will replace. For this reason, the automobilist will shun rough and rocky roads and refrain from riding his machine through localities which he would otherwise include in his circuit. The invention hereinafter described is specially intended to remed this objection, by affording a tire practioa y immune from punctures or cuts and conse uent disablement or destruction, and wit al at reduced ex ense, both in first outlay and renovating dis ursements.

A second undesirable characteristic of the inflatable tire will be found in that it is bulky, ponderons and cumbersome, and inci- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed-August 24.1906. Serial No. 331.915.

Patented Jan. 14,1908.

dentally bereft'of graceful configuration.

This is due to its very nature and makeup,

since enough material must be used in-it to enable it to withstand at'least ordinary wear and tear, and there has to be formed therein an air-space of adequate magnitude to admit of inflation to a useful extent. Now, as the cost of india-rubber is high, the tire manufactured from it, as a matter of course, is made of the smallest size available, and thereforethe wheel, with the tire on, needs must be low, stubby, massive and of ungainly appearance. A dwarfish wheel means a low axle, and that also is open to criticism inasmuch as the gearing connected therewith must be placed nearer the ground than would be advisable often to have the same. And the lowness of wheel and axle further signifies a less circumference of tread with a greater number of revolutions in a given distance and correspondingly-increased friction. All of this can be avoided through the use of the present invention.

It maybe addedas a corollary, that the inevitab e peripheral breadth and inherent flexibility of tread of the neumatic tire cause it to squat where it touc es the ground,

upon which its wide bearing surface leaves a broad, Webfootlike imprint, resulting 111' augmented friction on firm roads, which is antagonistic to speed, whereas on softer SOll the spread of 'the tire superinduces skidding and is equally inimical to high velocity. A proper hold on the grounds surface is just as essential to 'celerity in traction as the avoidance of too great a frictional contact.

The flattening of-the tread at the point of contact also hinders in steering, as it prevents deflection at a sharp angle and making short turns, such as are now possible under the present im roved conditions. Moreover, the external yielding of the pneumatic tire, as it touches the earth, merely produces a repulsion of air throughout the rest of the tire and has no tractive effect, it being an acknowledged fact thatthe pressure of. fluids is the same in all directions, and therefore the air expansion makes itself felt backward as much as forward. The invention disclosed. herein contemplates a tire having an entirely different action, intended to do away with the squatting, skidding, and sprawling, and destinedto assist'in the development of speed by causing the resilient portionof' the tire to exert a pull on itin the direction the. tire and f'cycle of revolution. I v The same numerals are employed to'indiof motion either way, that is, forward or backward.

Reference is made to the drawings hereto annexed for a detailed statement of the nature of this invention and of the manner in which it may be carried. out in practice. In thesaid drawings Figuge 1 is a side eleva-i tion,fpartly in section, of a wheel fitted with one 'orm of this im roved tire, the same being shown in an ic e condition. Figs. 2,"v 3, and 4. are enlar ed transverse'sections of wheel-rim, respectively taken from the lines A .-A, B -B, and (3- O of Fig. 1, and altered to illustrate the "various positions assumed by the 'tire', relatively to the wheel at different points in its cate like partsthroughout the specification and drawings;

This improved tire is made substantially rigid outwardly, which is :best, accomplished by making its main circular ortio'n of metal, as sheet-stelstamped or-ot erwis e suitably formed. The metallic circle, designated herein by the numeral 1, may appositely be equippe with a separate or separable tread 2, consisting of an-outer band of hard vu'l .oanized caoutchouc, or sole-leather, or composite pliable material, packed solid. Such.

' a band maybe shrunk on the metal or firmly set thereon betweenoutwardly-turned verti- I cal flanges 3. Theseaparta-admit of no flex- .ure col ectively, an taken together are calculated not to yield on the ground any more than a plain soli djindia rubber tire would do superficially. In design, the above: 1nent1oned tread 2 is preferably a deep segment of a round band, the cross-sectional area of which need not be one-fourth that of the air-inflated tire; and on to the segment 1s ribbed or corrugated or st u( ded throughout the oircumferenceof the band,as jsuge e'sted at 4', Figs. 2 and 3. This segmental and, 'ap lied with the convex side outward,

' affords al the desirable'external resilience to the tire as proposed tojbe made, combined with toughness and durability. Its reduced,

rotund, and partially roughened outline is deemed the most favorable to speedy trac-' tron, asit seems torender the treads adhesion inversely proportional to the hardness of the ground, causing-the tire to ride lightly on-the-firmer and to cling more to the softer,-

and thereb operating to avoid both draggang ands ipfnng- It also favors steering through its hmited width, which enables the" wheel to'be deviated'from itscourse at the sharpest angles- Unlike the pneumatic, the tire'in this invention issoparate and in some respects independent of the Wheel, which maybe of any preferred manufacture. ,An ordinary auto- .mobile wheel has been shown'in' Fig. -1-, the

same comprising, asusual, the hub 5, spokes and two 6, and felly 7 The wheel (of whatever type) is both supported and suspended Within the tire by means of intermediate-springs,"

so that :it acquires, while revolving, a dis-i 'tinot, individual, eccentric motionin avertical plane and acts as if it were floating in what might be termed an elastic circle or a buoyant annulus,- which extending all aroundbeyond the rim of'the wheel, serves to absorb of 'the coacting yieldability -of the outer" band 2, hereinbefore described. Vibration and shocks are thus taken up and diflused 'throughout the periphery, at. the remotest points from the axle and-therefore farthest cm the pointsof connection Withthe ve- 'hicle body,'a condition not only agreeable to the occupants of the vehicle,but likewise advantageous for the hauling of fragile wares,

the transportation of explosives, and the like, asmay be required either in the dis-= charge of '"civil pursuits or the conduct of military operations. The method of sup-i.

porting the wheel upon'and suspending it by spring's-within the tire, as -above intimated,;

will prescntly'be described.-

' Three sets ofsprings are interposed be tween the tire and "the wheel, namely, a cen;:

tral, radial set indicated by the numeral-8,

res ectiv y peripheral, quasi-tangential :series e numbered 9 and 1 0. Theseseyera springs (8, 9, 10) are incas'ed in channels 11 and 12, one ,formed inwardly 0n-'the me-.-

tallio circular other outward wheel-rim, bot erably of the same metal and designed to fit loosely one withinjthe other, with their sidesilapping, as best seen-in the detail views portion .1 of the tire, and the on a ,counter-band 13 of the of the drawings. Ball bearings 14' are placed between the. contiguous sides of the two channels, as' shown n'these detail figures, for the dual purpose of ,avoidingfriotion during the vertical movement ofthe' wheel Within the tire and of maintaining the channels channels being made pref properly centered one with relation to -the other." A limited number only of the bearing balls 14 need be used, "a nd,"a's illustrated,

sides may be) to facilitatetheiassembling of" thewheel and tire, with its sundry sprmgs, 'ball-bearin s, and parts thereto related. The

sides may e secured in their relative positions in any suitable manneig for instance, by cross bolts 18 (Fig. 1) lying within cl ps 19,

r veted or otherwise fastened to the gginner face of the circle 1 of the tire, the si'des or 11"." they are conveniently lodged in holes-.15, bored through the sides of'the channel l2 and covered on the inside by small plates 16.,

' 15 fittings or the aggregate s rings. Secondly, the independent pivota anchorage of the dilferent springs renders them exempt from harmful torsion or fiexure in the direction of their length, and insures for each, perfect freedom of action regardless of its ever-changing positions around the wheel. Thirdly, the peculiar. disposition of the two sets of tangential-springs, with every other one .in each set adapted to pull in the same direction, and likewise alternating in the opposite course,

operates to apply the rotating force evenly and in a continuous impulse on both sides of the wheel, from therim to the tire on from the tire .to the rim, as the case may be. Onehalf of thesesprings, it will be perceived, act during the forward revolution of the wheel, and the other half while it turns backward. For example, assuming the wheel is revolving clockwise and the construction to be as in Fig. 1, the springs 9 and 10 that run up and back from thefittings 24, 26, 28, and-30, will jointly exert a pull fromthe rim upon the tire in the direction of revolution. If the lateral Walls of the channel abutting against the ends of :the clips when the bolts are tightened. One end of each of the aforesaid springs is attached to the tire and the other end to the rim throughout. the circumference of the Wheel. All springs are therefore anchored at both ends, and they are subjected to equal tensions in the radial and peripheral sets, respectively. The anchoring is done by .a pivotal or flexible connection in" each instance, the ends of the sprin s being conveniently looped over pins 20, etween pairs of lugs 21, 22, and 23 that are provided on fixtures 24, 25, 26, 27, 2s, :29, 3o, 31, 32, and 33, secured at opposite points in the bottom arts of the channels 11 and 12. As shown, t elugs 21 are located centrally on the fittings; and with the in in each pair constitute the anchorage or the radial springs 8, whereas the lugs 22 and 23 occupy the corners ofthe fittin s, and with the pins therein make rovision or the attachment of .the periphera sprin s 9 and 10. .Thedrawv 25 ings show lugs on t two series, t

40 in the sectioned four s rings exten 29, 30, and 33, all-connected with lugs 23 on so: as to'bring the .sprin e-four corners of each fitting, which feature may-be useful when a plying the tire to the wheel, but itwill be 0 served they are not all employed, as the springs in the series 9 and 10 are made to 30 cross one another longitudinally ofthe tire and wheel-rim,- between the several pairs ofadjac ent and opposite fittings. to th1s',.the springs are nately in op osite directions'in each ofthese at is to say, from the rim to the tire and vice versa, each series, necessarily,

.on its own side of the fittings and of the central .line of radial springs. Thus, as represented in Fig; 1, the four springs 9 appearing I art thereof run from the fitting .24 to the fi tively to the fittings 28, 31, and 32, the four being attached at each end to lugs i'em'ote side of the specified fittings, while the 10 crossing them respectively from the fitting 25 to the fittings 26,

the near side'of the fittin s last mentioned. The several fittings, it'will e seen, are space s 9 and 10 therebetween on lines practica y tangentialto the 'tiie and rim of the wheel. I -.The arrangement of springs aboveset forth divers useful purposes. Firstmay be .55 mentioned the universal distribution of strain through'therperipheryof the wheel,

obtained 'by anchoring 2 rings (radial and tangential) in the manner escr'ibed, which relieves compression by opposite tension a'nd'the reverse, the weight imposed at'the hub being borne not only by the lowermost springs tor. those immediately.

adjoining, .but taken up.'by the upperand intervening ones as well. This imparts holding strength and quiclmss of recoil to In addition caused to run alterdirection of rotation either way,

tends to offset any difierentia tting 27, thence consecu-' 22 on the d the felly of the wheel.

strips are held in place each by a fiat metallicring 36 and countersunk screws both ends of the wheel be turned contra-clockwise, the springs 9 and 10 inclined upwardand backward from the fittings 32,30, 28, and 26 will erform the same function in the reverse direction. It will further be seen that the tangential or quasi-tangential alinement of the springs 9 and 10 adapts them for a substantially straight pull on the tire or wheel-rim in the and the alternation of springs running opposite ways -movement the wheel-rim and Guards 34 are placed the at the junctures of the channels 11 and 12, that is to say, where theirlateral walls laxpover one another. These guards consist '0 strips of stout fie 'blefabric, such as sail cloth; gum elastic, or other material suitably treated and worked so as to be unaffected'by the elements, and which strips are tightly secured at their opposite edges against the borders of the channel 11 and upon flanges 35 of the band 13 where the same is fitted over The edges of the over the sides of the 37, Fig. 2. I

The said guards are of ample width to allow for the full eccentric movement of the wheel 1 dust, water, and all foreign matter from the said. junctures, but through their periodical folding andu-nfolding they also operate to shed or shake off the same and consequently keep the tire clean, with'concomitant advanta es.

have now described what I consider the most complete and practicable form of my saidimproved tire. v apparentto skilled mechanics that numerous c anges' can Nevertheless, it will be,

be effected therein Without de-.

withinthe tire, and not only ward oif dirt,

'arting frorn'its main structural'principle;

' et it be understood, therefore, thatI do not wish to' confine myself to the exact details of construction as herein exemplified, but-thatanchored at both ends therebetween, and

' wheel-rim. v i 3 'The combination of an inwardly-chain similarly-anchored quasi tang'entialsprings alternately running in opposite. directions at each side ofjthe radial s rings and-crossing one another longitudinal peripheral corner .lngu vjitness, whereof 1'.v have signed. this specification in presence of two subscribing I Witne ses. e

1y of the tire and;

neled tire, an o'utwardlyrchan'neled 'wheeL oggositely-located fittings having a plurality 0 '20 ugs and respectively secured at regular intervals in the channels of the tire and Wheel-rim, radial central lugs on; t

5 rings running longitudinally'of the tire and? radial s' rings and likewise connected with liigs of staggered fittings.

' "THOMAS JAlWES McOARTHY. Witnesses:

' 'WM. B. WIGHTMAN,

A.,1H. STE.'MARIE.

sgrings flexibly anchored to e opposite fittings, and

wheel-rim on each side of the 

